A Now Convenient Curse
by idle curiosity
Summary: Early CotBP - what might have happened if Will had heeded Norrington's advice to leave Elizabeth's rescue to the professionals. Warning for some disturbing imagery and character deaths.


When it's talked about in Port Royal, in taverns over a pint of ale, in sitting rooms over a cup of tea, or in the marketplace on a hot summer morning, it is agreed; nothing's been the same since that horrific first pirate raid.

Governor Swann never recovered from the blow of his daughter's disappearance. His eyes turned dark and haunted, he was lost without her. Took the heart right out of him, townsfolk said. Eventually, they had to petition the king for a new governor, because Weatherby lost all interest in the job. He spent his time, and his all fortune, in fruitless searches as to her whereabouts. He grew older and more defeated with every year that passed without her, every ship that came back empty, and every inquiry made that turned up no news of her. He died a broken man, never knowing Elizabeth's fate.

They still talk about the hanging of Jack Sparrow. After the other pirates had escaped the gaol during the raid, they repaired his cell and doubled the guard. When the appointed day came, and the Commodore and the Governor (he'd insisted on going along) were still at sea searching for his daughter, Lieutenant Groves did the honors. All of Port Royal turned out to watch, bringing food and drink and making a day of it. They all agreed that they had to admire him, because for all that he was a flamboyant figure, to be sure, there was a certain grace in how he died. His remains hang at the entrance to the harbor, a warning to any who would take up piracy.

Commodore Norrington, too, spent too much time and too much effort in the search for the Governor's daughter. Eventually, though, he had to turn his attention towards trying to stem the sudden rising tide of piracy. He died at sea, the _Dauntless_ having been sunk in a terrible battle with pirates. The new Commodore hasn't been any more successful against the rampant lawlessness than James Norrington had been.

Will Turner was never the same, either. Everyone knew that he was in love with Elizabeth Swann; it was common knowledge. But he seemed to be riddled with guilt after she was taken, for some reason. Many times, he was overheard muttering that he should have gone to find her himself. Then, not too long after she was kidnapped, while Norrington and the Governor were still at sea, he disappeared. No one knew where or why. The forge had been banked, his bed slept in, and all the signs were that he didn't go willingly into the dark night. Inquiries were made, if only because he was the best blacksmith in the region, and it would be a shame to lose such a valuable asset to the community. But, he was never heard from again, and since Brown was a drunkard and useless, eventually Port Royal found another smith. Not as good as Turner, by far, but adequate.

There are beginning to be whispers of a ship with black sails, rumors of pirates that can't die. They're naught but bones and rags, to hear tell. They can't be stopped, it's said, and there aren't many willing to risk sailing the high seas anymore. The citizens of Port Royal cross themselves uneasily, and pray that they will be left alone.

_There is a place, an island that cannot be found, except by those who already know where it is. It has a cave, one that is filled with glittering swag. And, on top of this golden mountain, there is a stone chest, one that contains, on most days, 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold. Blood money that carries a terrible curse._

_At the foot of this gleaming altar lie two bodies. Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner._

_Elizabeth was taken because she possessed the gold, and carried the name Turner, she'd said. But she incurred the wrath of the pirates for not being a Turner at all. In their rage, they forced her, using the cruelest of ways, to tell them the story of how she'd come to be in possession of the last piece of Aztec gold. They forced her to give up the name of the boy who'd held it before she'd taken it away, and where he was. Once they knew that, a few pirates were dispatched to bring him back. The ones remaining turned their attention to Elizabeth in other ways. She was fierce, she was defiant, but she didn't last long._

_Will Turner had fallen to his knees and howled his anguish, when they brought him in and he saw his beloved's naked, abused body lying like a carelessly abandoned child's toy. He didn't seem to care, after that, putting up no real resistance as they hauled him to his feet. The pirates dragged him to stand over the stone chest, took out the bone knife, and slit his throat. After all, they laughed, he was only half-Turner. They spilled the blood that finally, finally appeased the wrath of the gods, and threw away his body after that. It tumbled down over the slippery gold to join Elizabeth's._

_Together in death._

_The pirates don't stay there. For the most part, they use the swag in the cave to buy all the food and drink and pleasurable company that they could possibly desire. The drink satisfies, the food tastes like ambrosia (try the apples, Barbossa urges), and the pleasurable company at last can slake their lust._

_When they feel the need to go pirating, they will go back to the cave and each take up a piece of Aztec gold. Should they happen to walk in the moonlight, after that, they will be seen for what they really are. It is a sight to make grown men shudder in fear, and women to go screaming into the night._

_But when they're done, they will go back to the cave of the Isla de Muerte, take up the bone knife, and each cut open their palms to cover the pieces in their blood, dropping them back into the chest._

_And they will laugh uproariously, for they are now invincible._


End file.
